Bernera
by Metaphoria
Summary: “Let's go to Radiant Bastion, kids!” he said. Except, he didn't say it as happily  and it wasn't just because he thought it was a good holiday destination [which it wasn't]. AkuRoku Zemyx Cleon


**» →BERNERA: demyx's prologue**

Last night, my brother, aged fifteen, ran away. His name was Sora Strife-Gainsborough. He had three brothers (including me) and one sister, they all loved him dearly. Except for Yuna maybe, because she hates everyone. To be honest, I'm not even sure if Tidus was really that bothered. So, okay, he had three brothers (including me) and one sister. Two of those brothers loved him dearly.

He left a note on the kitchen table which said:

_I have run away._

It was a bit rushed and we weren't very sure if it said 'I have run away.' or 'I haven't run away.' Eventually, we decided that the former made more sense.

Everyone was shocked, especially Dad. Usually, Cloud Strife is a cold-hearted bastard who won't listen to you and likes nothing more than to have peace and quiet. Maybe with Leon. He freaked out like crazy: he shouted until a neighbour came round a told him to, and I quote, "**SHUT THE FUCK UP OR I'LL CALL THE POLICE!**". To which my ever-so delightful father replied, "**FUCK YOU!**".

A day to remember, indeed.

We were told not to tell Mom: not to phone her; not to email her; not to fax her (as if we had a fax, anyway); not to run over there screaming blue murder. That sort of thing.

See, we all think (know) that the main reason Sora ran away is because of our mother: Aerith Gainsborough. A week ago, Mom and Dad split up due to reasons I'd rather not tell you. But I will anyway: they were both cheating on each other. To be brutally honest, I think they knew that each other were cheating on the other. In fact, in Cloud's case, Mom might have been encouraging him. But, I really wouldn't know. Insert shudder here.

Oh yeah, and also, a week ago, Leon moved in. Yes, Leon Leonheart – the guy with that name we all just love to laugh at. The guy who, until recently, lived with his twin brother, Squall Leonheart, in a flat just outside of Hollow Bastion.

Most people in DI know him as 'Leonheart'.

Maybe he'll get married to my Dad and then I'll be known as Demyx Strife-Gainsborough-Leonheart. Do you think I'd get bullied?

I think I would.

Please, God, don't change my name again.

But now I'm running off the point, my younger brother, Sora, ran away, leaving me, Roxas and Cloud devastated. So, Leon (Leonheart) suggested a nice, relaxing holiday in the hills of Radiant Bastion.

It would certainly take our minds off... things.

Those were his exact words. Exactly, his exact words, exactly – **exactly**. I don't know whether to believe him or not. He even paused between 'off' and 'things'. He is crazy. I don't think there is anything on a living, dead, dying, newborn or any world which could put my father's mind to rest about Sora. Sora was his favourite. Because Sora was the _normal_ one, he was the one with **good** grades and god-like skills in sport and any three of the arts.

Sora was the one who was going to make Cloud **proud**.

But then he had to buggar off with his two friends to start afresh. And if I know Sora (which I do), he'll start thinking that he'll need to create a whole new colony, which means Riku and Kairi will have to be in a room together. And Sora will be waiting outside, anxiously.

He doesn't get Riku. He really doesn't get Riku.

I wonder what would happen if he did...

When we all got in the car, with all our stuff packed and **everything**, I realised that I'd forgotten my sitar. This would not do, so I tried escaping the seven seater crapmobile but Leon stopped me. And I had to go sitar-less. Imagine! The cheek of that funnily named man! Dad would be hearing about _this_: I **need** my sitar to _liiiiive_!

Just because he lives with us doesn't mean he can replace Mom. No one could replace Mom.

Actually, I don't think he was trying to replace Mom, I think he was just trying to get us on the road because Dad was already starting to speak his doubts.

And then we were off, to board some hour long boat to Hollow Bastion and from there we would take the smallest motorway in the whole country to get to Radiant Bastion. Apparently, it would take roughly seventeen hours.

I slept for most of the way. And then, seventeen hours later, we arrived at some cottage place, planted right in the middle of three hills and a beach. A crappy beach: it's all pebbly with jellyfish _everywhere_!

The sad thing was, Dad still had a seat saved for Sora in the car.

According to Roxas, all the way there, he had been phoning Sora's mobile all the time. But there was never an answer.

I don't think Cloud's ever got as worked up about something as this.

Okay, so I woke up when we got there. Because you do that, you know? You're asleep for a good period of time, but then, like in a movie, you wake up suddenly (as if on cue) and you've arrived! And when I woke up, I realised that I was about to pee myself. I needed the bathroom **that** bad. So, banging the window with all my might (child locks; kill more kids than they save) I shrieked for someone to open my door.

When someone did, I then had to wait for Leon to open the door to our "new cottage". It didn't even belong to us! I searched frantically for a bathroom and eventually found one under the stairs. After I had done my business, I hurried outside to the car to see that Roxas was sitting on his chair with a look of someone who might have been interested had they not just been sick on. Because, in fact, Yuna had been sick on Roxas.

Tidus was just whining in the back, complaining of (in alphabetical order):  
Back ache  
Ear ache  
Foot cramp  
Head ache  
Leg cramp  
Multiple spine injuries  
Pneumonia  
Stomach ache  
Toe cramp

Aaannnddd, the crowning glory (not in alphabetical order):

Dry Rot.

I doubt he even knew what it was.

Then, looking to the front seats, and finding that Leon and Cloud were _somewhere else_, I looked back over to the neighbouring cottage a few metres away. There, Leon was pulling Cloud towards a pony-tailed red-head, and his (probably) wife, a tall-ish brunette. I think the first thing I thought when I saw her was: _How do I look at her face?_

I pulled Roxas out of his seat and dragged him down the path, forgetting about the vomit, and into the "new neighbours'" front yard.

There, Roxas grimaced and looked at his sticky front before glaring at me. I didn't care. I wanted him to meet Cloud and Leon's new friends!

"Yo, Cloudy!"

Then I realised that they couldn't possibly be **new** friends: they were old school mates!

"...Reno."

Dad was his usual self again! Thank the good Lord! The wife of this illustrious 'Reno' opened the door of the black car they owned. It looked like a company car, but that's just one of those things you'll just never know.

"Heya, Cloud!" the woman said. Cloud turned to her, too.

"Tifa."

She stepped over to hug him, but paused as she saw Leon, Roxas and I. "Who are these little munchkins then?" she asked, mainly directed at Roxas, maybe at me. Definitely not at Leon. That would just be... _weird_.

Cloud turned to scowl at us, as if it were our fault we had been born. Roxas wasn't really paying attention to anything, just busy pouting at his ruined top. "This is Demyx. He is sixteen. This is Roxas. He is fourteen. This is Leon. He is in his mid-thirties."

Tifa stood back and studied us, hands on hips. "You know, Cloud, these kids make my suspicions seem true."

I gaped at her, what was she talking about?

Reno furrowed his brow, "Aw, hell, Tifa, that's not fair! Cloud, they're not Aerith's are they?"

Cloud's scowl deepened, "Yes."

Tifa shrieked with happiness, "Ha ha!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air, and placing them round Cloud. "That means **I** get to decide what happens to the spare room!" Cloud looked bemused, "Ya see, we have this spare room in our house, and we both wanted different things in it. So, we placed a bet – don't bet, kiddies," she directed the last section at me and my brother, "to whether you and Aerith would hook up and/or have kids."

Cloud looked disturbed now.

"And we've kept the spare room how it is for about fifteen and a half years now - ever since we got the thing. Until we found you again!" Here, Tifa directed her finger to Cloud's nose. So that was why he never talked about his childhood...

"Axel, get out the car!" Reno barked, aiming a commanding look at someone inside the car. My insides twisted, I might make a **friend**! This tall (oh-so tall) red-head came out from inside the car. His eyes were this green colour that reminded me of deciduous trees' leaves.

Then this other kid came out. He was short, shorter than 'Axel', but he looked around the same age (which happened to be my age), he had periwinkle (?), silver-ish (?), purply (?), grey-ish (?) hair. The only other thing I can tell you about him, was that, well, he was... cute.

← ↑ →

**an**

Yay for first fics! And by the way, after this chapter it's all in third person - 'part from the last chapter :D And it actually mainly revolves around Roxas but I thought I'd do it from Demyx's point of view because, well, no one ever does. You know? I also want to say yay for demyx-roxas-sora siblingly. So, yay! Uhm, please review and tell me what you think, what could be done better, yadda, yadda, yadda. Please no flames, just constructive critism :)

Love, metaphoria xx


End file.
